Automatic weighing machine



Jan. 21, 1936. J B, wE 2,028,544

AUTOMATIC WEKIGHING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 m avwnz Jan. 21, 1936. J HOWE 2,028,544

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed MHZ, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 H? z 1 2/ilr Z92 l I O Jan. 21, 1936. J, B O 2,028,544

AUTOMATIC WE IGHING MACHINE Fil ed March 28, 1935 e Sheets-Sheet s 50 2/mg a m fv' 2 A Jan. 21, 1936. B HOWE 2,028,544

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1933 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan.21, 1936. J, HOWE 2,028,544

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE I Filed March 28, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 525gz gz Jan. 21, 1936. J. B. HOWE 2,628,544

AUTOMATIC WEI GHING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 fl f a'78 I" t FEE- 0296b r l 50 i i 64 i ii. a

jZUZ7Z Z0 Patented Jan. 21, 1936 UlslTE STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATICWEIGHING MACHINE Joseph B. Howe, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Gee. s.Harwood & Son, Boston, Mass, a. copartnership composed of John H.Hal-wood and John H. Harwood, Jr.

Appiication March 28,

30 Claims.

1933, Serial No. 663,113 (01.249-42) This invention pertains toautomatic weighing machines and as herein illustrated by way of exampleis embodied in a machine for weighing and deliverin textile fiber to acarding machine. In my Patents i'o. 1,859,444, dated May 24, 1932; No.1,675,756, dated July 3, 1928; No. 1,531,945, dated March 31, 1925; No.1,531,944, dated March 31, 1925; and No. 1,434,658, dated October 31,1922, I have disclosed certain improvements in weighing oi the classdescribed, deprlmarily to e11 iinate errors and to increase the accuracyof the weighing operation whereby to insure greater uniformity inproduct than was possible with prior apparatus.

However, observation of the operation of my patented mechanism under itions has led to the p action of the further improvements hereinaf setforth and which form the subject matter of the present invention, suchimpro ements being illustrated as enibodied in a ne of tii. kindspecifically disclosed in my aioresaid Patent No. 1,675,756 in which asingle lever acts both to initiate the dumping of the pan and also toreset the pan its load-receiv ng position.

Since it is desi ie to make the hinged bottom members of the as lig'itas possible, it is usual to form them of a open, the sudden arrest ofthe pa 1 of their travel has been found to whip the bottom members outof shape so that t do not meet properly when closed. Accordi a 2 theremoodiment of the inven n is to provide for damping the biow when thebottom members of the pan swing open so as to avoid injury to ordistortion of the parts.

Since I! roved weighi g 'nechanisin as dis- 1 and/or as she in myafoesaid ied to existing mabeen found that unier, thus interferingoperation of .the de- 1 such possibility, the present ins a portableunit comprising a elements nd this sup- .y be shipped to chine frame asf improper ativ co-t axes.

practice it has been common to form the fuicrums for the pan and beamrespectively vent-ion prov from round rod stock sharpened to a V-edge,but it is not easy to set and maintain such a rod in the exact positiondesired, and in accordance with the present invention I avoid thisdifiiculty by employing a piece of polygonal rod, for example,triangular, firmly clamped in an opening of substantially the sameshape,using one of the corners of the rod as a knife edge. When one ofsuch corners become dull, the rod may be withdrawn from its clamp andturned through the proper angle to present another of its corners to actas the knife edge.

As those parts of the scale beam and pan frame which rest on the knifeedges are usually made of cast iron, they tend to wear quite rapidly,and to lessen wear at these points, I provide wear pieces, preferably ofsome hard steel alloy, secured to the Dan and beam, respectively, andpreferably adjustable so as to permit them to be set accurately withreference to the knife edges on which they rest.

In the arrangement disclosed in my Patent No. 1,675,756, the singlelever which controls the opening and resetting of the pan is obliged tomove through a large arc in performing its several functions, and in sodoing it tends to exert a side thrust on the pan at some parts of itspath of movement, thus causing the pan to swing, and when once started,the oscillation of the pan may increase by reason of the vibration ofthe machine, for example, until the center of gravity of the pan movesso far from normal position that the scale beam will tip prematurely. Inaccordance with the present invention, I provide an improved latch andlatch release mechanism so arranged that the latch parts themselves arelocated in the vertical plane of the pan axis, thus balancing the panitself, and at the same time the release mechanism is so designed thatonly a relatively short are of movement of the lever arm is necessary,and restraining elements are provided so that any side thrusts which dodevelop are exerted against parts which are independent of the pan sothat such thrusts have no effect upon the pan itself.

In machines of this general type it is common to drive the pan-dumpingmechanism by direct connections to the carding machine, thereby toinsure proper speed ratios of the two mechanisms. Under somecircumstances it becomes necessary to turn the feed rolls of the cardingmechanism backward, for example, for cleaning, but when using the usualdrive connections to the card feeder, such backward movement of the cardis impossible (without disconnecting the parts) by reason ofinterference between some of the driven parts of the cardfeeder. Inaccordance with the present invention the drive connections between thecard and the card feeder are so arranged as to permit reverse motion ofthe card without reversing the card feeder mechanism. The presentinvention also provides an improved drive mechanism for the push boardwhich is used for advancing material toward the card after the materialhas been dumped from the pan, and the invention also provides improvedguide means for the material on its way to the pan.

The above objects and features of improvement, as well as certain otherimprovements hereinafter referred to, are illustrated in a preferredembodiment by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.1 is a fragmentary elevation of the righthand end of a card feederembodying my present invention showing the scale pan closed and inposition to receive a load of material;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing the position of the weighingmechanism after the scale beam has tilted in response to a load in thepan and just prior to dumping;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the scale pan at theinstant of dumping;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the scale beam restoredto weighing position and the scale pan partly closed;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the pan fully closed andthe parts positioned to latch the pan with its bottom members closed;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the scale actuatingparts all restored substantially to normal position, but illustratingthe action of the clutch controlling elements in restarting delivery ofmaterial to the pan;

Fig. '7 is a vertical section substantially on the line 1 of Fig. 1illustrating the pan latch and cooperating parts;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation to large scale illustrating the lowerportion of the pan-steadying and latch-releasing and pan-closing member;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevation showing an improved fulcrum supportfor the scale pan;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line |GI9 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is 'a fragmentary elevation illustrating an improved fulcrumsupport for the scale beam Fig. 12 is a section on the line I2-l2 ofFig. 11;

Fig. 13 is an elevation partly in section showing an improved driveconnection for the scaleactuating parts;

Fig. 14 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary detailed view illustrating a preferredarrangement for supporting the buffer spring which cushions the shock ofopening the pan;

Fig. 16 is an elevation, partly in section showing the supporting unitfor the scale-dumping mechanism, and the parts carried thereby; and

Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating the relation of the card feeder andcard.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to Fig.1'7, the numeral lindicates one of the end frames of a card feeder of the well knownBramwell type, such feeder having a bin 2 into which the fibrousmaterial is dumped, and a scale pan P into which the material isdelivered for weighing. After weighing, the material is dumped from thescale pan onto a traveling apron 6 carried by endless chains on sprocketwheels on shafts I .and 8. This traveling apron delivers the material tothe carding machine 4. In the present instance the shaft 8 is driven bymeans of suitable connections 5 from the carding machine t so that thecard feeder parts move in definite timed relation to the motions of thecarding mechanism. Vfliile as here illustrated the shaft 8 is the onewhich receives motion directly from the card, itis to be understood thatother appropriate connections may be employed for driving the parts ofthe card feeder in consonance with operation of the card.

Referring to Fig. 1, the frame of the card feeder is shown as having aforwardly extending bracket 5 which supports the bearings for theshafts1 and 8, while the upper part of the frame is provided with bearings forthe shaft 12 carrying a roller (not shown) supporting the upperpart ofan endless spike apron [4 which, in usual manner, picks up the fibrousmaterial from the bin 2 and raises it for delivery to the scale pan. Theshaft 2, with the spike apron, is driven by means of a pulley I3 aboutwhich a belt (not shown) passes, such belt receiving its motion from apulley on a shaft (not herein shown) but which is driven throughconnections to the shaft 7.

As here illustrated, the machine frame is provided at its opposite endswith bearings for a pair of parallel shafts l5 and l5 respectively,which support an endless stripping apron (not shown) adapted to receivethe fiber from the spike apron and to carry it downwardly for deliveryto the pan. Preferably an inclined guide it is so arranged with respectto this. delivery apron as to receive the material from the latter andguide it for delivery into the pan at a point substantially above thefulcrum axis of the latter.

Interposed between the pulley i3 and the shaft i 2 is a clutch mechanismincluding the wheel I! having peripheral teeth 58, which may be engagedat times by a dog 19 thereby disengaging the clutch parts and permittingthe spike apron to come to rest. The dog i 9 is herein illustrated ascontrolled by a trip mechanism, indicated at 20, such as is more fullydescribed in the patent to Howe, No. 1,859,444. This trip mechanismincludes a trip rod 2| whose lower end passes freely through an openingin a boss Zi carried by the scale beam and which is provided with afixed collar 21* above the boss for engagement by the latter when thescale beam tips. The trip mechanism also comprises a resetting rod 22connected at its lower end to a resetting lever 8 i hereinafter morefully described.

Each end frame of the machine carries a bracket 23 supporting a fulcrumpin 2 the two fulcrum pins being aligned with each other and providingknife edge supports for the composite scale beam consisting of twoparallel lever arms 25, but one of which is shown. For convenience infurther description, the single arm 25 which is shown, will be referredto' as the scale beam. This scale beam is provided with a counterbalanceweight 26 at one end, and at the other carries a fulcrum pin 2'1providing a knife edge support for the scale pan P.

This scale pan is preferably of the type more fully described in thepatent to Howe No. 1,675,756, comprising end frames 28, which may becastings, held in spaced relation, if desired, by longitudinal rods, andwhich support side and end walls 23 of sheet metal or other suitablematerial, and movable bottom closure members which also may be of sheetmetal. The end. frames of the pan provide bearings for two parallelshafts 29 and 38 to which the bottom closures 3| 75 Cil and 32,respectively, are fixedly secured. Each of these shafts is provided witha crank arm 33 and 34, respectively, at one end, and these crank armsare connected by links 35 and 35 to the opposite ends, respectively, ofa vertically movable equalizer bar 37. This equalizer bar (Fig. 7) issecured at its central part to a vertically movable slide member 33guided between ribs 39 and 46 forming a part of the end frame of thepan, the ribs being spaced apart to provide a guideway for the slide 38.As thus arranged the two closure members are constrained to turn throughsubstantially equal angles, thus insuring quick dumping and accurateclosing.

The upper end of the slide 38 (which constitutes a latch carrier) isprovided with a pair of spaced upstanding lugs 4! between which a latchmember 42 is arranged. This latch member is pivoted on a pin 43 securedin the lugs 4| and is furnished with an actuating tail 44 projectingoutwardly away from the end of the pan, and with a latching hook 45adapted to engage an abutment 46 extending between and uniting the ribmembers 39 and near their upper ends. The latch is also furnished with adownwardly extending stop member 41 adapted to engage the upper end ofthe slide 38, thereby to limit movement of the latch hook toward the endof the pan.

A pan-closing pin 48 projects outwardly from the upper part of the slide31, substantially in the vertical plane of the latch tail 44, and acompression spring 49 is interposed between the pin 48 and the tail 44,such spring being conveniently seated in pockets in the opposing facesof the pin and tail and normally tending to swing the latch in acounterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 7.

The upper part of the end frame of the ma chine is furnished with abracket 50 whose lower end may, if desired, project downwardly below theoverhang of the frame and in position to engage the upper member of theend frame of the pan, thereby tolimit upward movement of the pan. Thisguide member 50 is furnished with a vertically extending guideway whichreceives the upper part of a vertically elongate slide member 5!, theguideway being of such length as to constrain the slide member 5| tomove in a rectilinear path and in a vertical direction, even though thelower part of this slide member projects well below the lower part ofthe guide bracket. This slide member 5| is provided with a transverselywidened portion 52 having a vertical slot 53 into which project thelatch tail 44 and the pan-closing pin 48. The sides of this slot are sospaced that, while permitting free up and down movement of the pin 48,they limit lateral movement of the pin and thus prevent the pan fromoscillating to an undesirable extent about its fulcrum 27. The upper endwall 54 of the slot, and a part 55 adjacent to the lower end of the slot53 constitute latch-releasing and panclosing elements, respectively, butin the normal load-receiving position of the parts these elements arespaced substantially from the latch tail 44 and the pin 48,respectively, so as not to interfere with the free movement of the panin a vertical direction during the weighing operation.

It may be noted that the latch tail 44, the pin 48, and the slot 53 inthe slide 5| are all disposed substantially in the vertical plane of thefulcrum 21 and that the various parts which are supported by the panfulcrum are all substantially symmetrical with respect to the verticalplane of the fulcrum so that there is no unbalanced weight or otherforce tending to tip the pan one way or the other.

Near its lower end the slide 5i is provided with a pair of forwardlyprojecting pins 5% and 57, respectively, which may, if desired, befurnished with anti-friction rollers, the pin 55 having a rearwardextension providing the pan-closing element 55. One arm 58 of apan-dumping and pan-closing lever is disposed between the pins 56 and5'! (or between the rollers carried by such pins if the rollers areemployed). This dumping and pan-closing lever is a bell crank leverincluding the arm 58 and a second arm 60, and is fulcrumed to turn on astub shaft 59 (Figs. 1 and 16) supported by a plate 59 adapted to besecured to the end frame of the machine by means of bolts 59*. The leverarm 60 carries a pair of spaced cam members BI and 62 (Fig. 2) which areadapted to be engaged successively by a crank member 63, which mayconsist of a pin with an anti-friction roller mounted thereon, carriedby a rotary member turning on a stub shaft 64 also mounted on the plate59 This crank 63 is eccentric to the axis of the shaft 64 and turns in acounterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow B in Fig. 2, andin so turning first engages the cam 6|, thereby to raise the arm 69 anddepress the arm 58, and subsequently cngages the cam 62, thereby todepress the arm 60 and raise the arm 58. The part 65 is secured to asprocket wheel 65 concentric with the shaft 64, and this sprocket wheelis driven by a chain 85 passing about a sprocket wheel 66 coaxial withthe shaft 1.

Referring to Figs. 13 and 14, the shaft 1 is shown as furnished at itsforward end with a fixed collar 61 having an arcuate slot or recess 58in its inner radial face. This slot or recess 68 is furnished at one endwith the abrupt shoulder 29 but gradually decreases in depth, as shownat 10, Fig. 13. The sprocket wheel 66 is provided with a sleeve 66 oneend of which abuts the collar 67, and this sleeve is furnished with apocket which receives a sliding clutch pin H which is urged outwardly bymeans of a spring 12 so that its end normally projects into the recess68. When the shaft '3 turns in the direction of the arrow A (Fig. 14),shoulder 69 of the collar 5'! engages the pin H and turns the sprocketwheel in the same direction, but if for any reason the carding machineshould be rcversely driven so as to turn the shaft '1 revcrsely, the pinII will ride up on the inclined surface 1 of the recess 68 and will thusfail to drive the sprocket wheel and the card feeder mechanism so thatthe latter will remain idle.

The stub shaft 59 carries a second lever having an arm 13 provided withthe counterweight it, and this arm normally rests upon a fixed stop 16carried by the machine frame. The lever Z3 also has a second arm whichextends along and substantially parallel to the arm 58 of the pandumpinglever and is provided near its end with a toe portion 15 which underliesthe arm 58. This arrangement is such that during the panfillingoperation the arm 53 is supported b3. the toe in its mid or neutralposition, as shown in Fig. 1. However, if the arm 58 is depressed, itwill at the same time raise the weighted arm '13, but if arm 58 israised above the normal position it recedes from the toe 15.

The stub shaft 59 carries a third lever having a weighted arm 17provided with the stop lug 18 (Fig. 16) which normally rests upon a stopor abutment l9 projecting from the machine frame. This third lever,which is a restarting lever for the spike apron, is provided with a camsurface adapted at times to be engaged by the crank member $3, therebyto lift the weighted arm TI, and is also provided with an arm 8! towhich the lower end of the trip resetting rod 22 is pivotally connected.

Referring to Figs. 9 to 12, the bracket 23 which supports the fulcrum 24for the scale beam is furnished with an apertured boss 23 at its upperend, such boss having an opening, here shown as of substantiallytriangular cross section, and having its wall split to provide forexpansion or contraction of this opening. This split in the wall isindicated at 23 (Fig. 11) and the walls of the boss, at opposite sidesof the split, may be drawn toward each other by means of a clamping bolt23. The fulcrum member 24 preferably consists of a bar of hard steel orother suitable wearresistant material, preferably polygonal, and, ashere shown, triangular in cross section. One end of this triangular baris seated in the opening in the boss 23 and is firmly clamped therein bymeans of the bolt 23 although it may be removed by loosening the bolt.The arrangement of the opening is such that when the bar is insertedtherein, one of its corners is directed upwardly to form the knife edge24. By remov-- ing this bar from the boss, it may be turned andreinserted in the opening so as to present a fresh edge or corner toserve as the knife edge.

As the scale beam is usually made of cast iron or other relatively softmaterial, it is preferred to provide a wear-resistant member forengagement with the knife edge 24. This wear-resistant member, as heredisclosed, preferably consists of a piece of sheet metal of the desiredwearresistant qualities, for example, alloy steel, nitrided steel, orthe like, having a horizontal flange 82 which underlies the lower edgeof the scale beam 25 and which provides a flat, substantially horizontalundersurface to rest on the knife edge 24 The wear-resistant member alsohas a vertical flange 83 disposed against the rear side of the'scalebeam 25 and has an opening for the reception of a bolt 89 securing it tothe scale beam. Preferably an adjustable stop collar member 84, issecured to the free end of the fulcrum bar 2e by means of a set screw 84The end face of the stop collar is preferably beveled at 84 and bearsagainst the flange 83 of the wear pin. This collar limits the movementof the scale beam toward the bracket 23, and as a similar arrangement isprovided at each end of the machine, it is obvious that the compositescale beam may be adjusted relatively to the machine frame, and whenonce adjusted is prevented from moving longitudinally of the knifeedges.

In order to prevent the scale beam from moving transversely of the knifeedge, a retainer member 81 is provided. This retainer member consists ofa piece of sheet metal slotted at 88 for the reception of an attachingbolt 88 by which it is secured to the front face of the scale beam. Thelower edge of this retainer member 8'! is provided with a V-notch havingdivergent side walls 98 making a larger angle with each other than dothe sides of the fulcrum bar, thus permitting the scale beam to tiltfreely without interference, but at the same time serving to preventbodily movement of the scale beam transversely of the knife edge.

That end of the scale beam which supports the fulcrum pin 21 isfurnished with a split boss 25 split at 25 (Fig. 9) and having aclamping bolt 25 adapted removably to secure the fulcrum pin 21 in theboss. This fulcrum pin, like the fulcrum pin 25 previously described,preferably. is a triangular bar of hardened steel with one of itscorners directed upwardly to form the knife edge 27 der flat surface ofa wear-resistant member comprising the lower horizontal fiange 9|underlying the top member 28 of the end frame of the scale pan andhaving a vertical flange 92 disposed against the front face of themember 28. The member 28 is furnished with a downwardly directed toe 93disposed opposite to the free end 94 of the fulcrum bar 21 for thepurpose of preventing endwise displacement of the scale pan along theknife edge 21*. To prevent accidental transverse displacement of thescale pan relatively to the knife edge, a retainer 95 is provided. Thisretainer preferably consists of a piece of sheet metal pivotally securedat 96 to the flange 92 of the wear-resistant member and having a curvedslot at 97 which receives an adjusting bolt 98. This retainer isfurnished with a wide V-notch 99 permitting free tipping of the scalepan about its fulcrum, but at the same time preventing bodily transversemovement of the pan. To facilitate the initial balancing of the pan onits fulcrum, it is preferable to make the wearresistant memberadjustable lengthwise of the member 28, and for this purpose the flange92 may have an elongate slot 93- which receives a clamping bolt 94 Whenthe scale pan latch is released, the bottom closures 3i and 32, togetherwith the crank arms 33 and 34, the links 35 and 36, the equalizer bar3?, and the slide 38, all drop freely to allow the contents of the panto fall, but in so dropping they acquire considerable momentum, and iftheir movement is suddenly arrested, there is a tendency to whip the panclosures 3i and 32 out of shape so that they do not thereafter closeaccurately. In order to cushion the downward blow of the moving parts, Iprefer to provide a cushioning spring, having a resilient arm I00,consisting, for example, of a piece of spring wire coiled at one end toform coils I03 about a pin I6! projecting from the end frame of the panand having its free extremity Illl resting upon a boss 502, alsoprojecting from the end frame of the pan. When the slide 38 drops, thepin 5'? engages this spring arm at about the mid point of the latter andthus the blow is cushioned and the pan closures are protected againstinjury.

The rotating member 65 which carries the crank 63 is furnished on itsforward side with a crank pin Hi l to which one end of a connecting rodms is secured. At its opposite end this connecting rod I05 is connectedto one arm I06 of a bell crank lever pivoted on a stub shaft I01 carriedby the machine frame. This bell crank has a second arm I88 connected bya link I09 to the push board llil which, in usual manner, is guided toslide in a rectilinear path by means of guide members projecting intoguideways Ill carried by the frame at opposite sides of the endlessmoving apron or belt 6.

In the normal operation of the machine, that is to say, while the pan isreceiving its load, the parts occupy substantially the position shown inFig. 1. In this position the scale beam 25 is substantially horizontal,the upper member of the pan is resting against the lower end of theguide 50, the dog I9 is disengaged from the teeth l8 This knife edgeengages the unso that the spike apron driving mechanism is in action,thereby raising the material from the bin for delivery to the pan, thelever arm 58 is substantially horizontal, the latch hook 45 engages theabutment 45, thus holding the pan closures in closed position, and thecrank pin 63 is at that portion of its path in which it does notoperatively engage either of the cams 6|, 62 or 80.

As the pan receives its load, there comes a time when the load in thepan counterbalances the weight 25 and thereupon the pan drops until thescale beam 25 engages the stop 25 secured to the end frame of themachine. This downward movement of the scale pan is freely permitted byreason of the clearance between the pin 48 and the member 55 at thelower end of the slot 53 in the slide 5|. As the scale pan descends, theboss 2| of the scale beam engages the collar 21 thus raising the triprod 2| and causing the dog l9 to engage the teeth l8, thus stopping theshaft I2 and the further delivery of material by the spike apron.

During the above operations the rotating member 55 has been turningslowly in a counterclockwise direction in accordance with the speed ofoperation of the carding machine and eventually the crank 63 engages thecam 6| as shown in Fig. 2. Continued rotation of the crank 63, bycooperation with the cam 6!, raises the lever arm 50, thus moving thearm 58 downwardly and thereby moving the slide 5| downwardly until theupper wall 54 of the slot 53 comes into contact with the tall 44 of thelatch, thus disengaging the latch from the abutment 46. The weight ofthe parts now causes the slide 38 with the equalizer bar 31 to descend,thereby opening the pan closures and allowing the material to fallfreely onto the traveling apron 6. In moving downward, the arm 58carries with it the toe l5, thus lifting the weight 14, and as the crank63 passes the cam 5|, the weight 74 immediately tends to restore the arm58 to its normal substantially horizontal position, thus raising theslide 5| to the position shown in Fig. 4. This movement of the slide,assisted by the weight 26, restores the pan to its normal uppermostposition, at the same time partially closing the bottom members 3| and32 (Fig. 4). Continued movement of the crank 63 now brings it intooperative contact with the cam 62, thereby depressing the arm 60 andpositively raising the arm 58 to the position shown in Fig. 5. Thismoves the slide 5| upwardly to a sufficient extent to bring the member55 into engagement with the pin 48 and to carry the latter up to a pointsuch that the latch hook 45 is enabled to engage the abutment 46 just asthe members 3| and 32 reach their closed position, so that the pan isnow ready to receive a new load of material.

As the crank 53 leaves the cam 6!, as above described, and before itfully engages the cam 62, it comes into contact with the surface 88 ofthe restarting lever, but this cam suurface SE is so shaped that the armTI is not effectively raised until after the crank 63 has fullydepressed the cam 62 and thus closed and locked the pan. Thereaftercontinued movement of the crank G3 so elevates the part I? as to depressthe arm 8!, thereby pulling down on the resetting rod 22 and thusretracting the dog I!) from teeth 18, whereupon the spike apron isimmediately started into operation to deliver more material to the pan.It may be noted that with the arrangement provided, a single crankmember 63 successively dumps the pan, closes and locks the pan, andstarts the spike apron into operation, but that the latter operation cannot take place until the pan is fully closed and locked.

When the crank pin 63 runs on" of the cam 62, the arm 53 immediatelydrops until it is caught by the toe l5 and is thereby supported in itscentral or neutral position. This movement of the arm 58 restores theslide 5! to its normal position, wherein the latch tail 4 5 and the pin48 are free from contact with the spaced elements 54 and 55 of the slide52.

As above described, the stub shaft 59 and the stub shaft 64 are carriedby a plate 59 which is independent of the end frame of the machine, andthus this plate with the parts carried thereby, if desired, may beassembled to form a unit which may be properly set up and adjusted atthe factory and shipped for application to an existing machine, with theassurance that the parts will be properly related so as to obtain thedesired relative timing of the several actions,

By the connections herein described the motion of the push board H ismade more uniform and less jerky than in accordance with usualarrangements, since in this case its forward or operative motion isproduced by a pulling action rather than a pushing action.

It will be noted, as above referred to, that the scale pan locking andreleasing parts are all symmetrical with respect to the pivotal axis ofthe pan so that the opening and closing of the pan does not tend to setup violent oscillations either in the pan or in the scale beam, while atthe same time the pan is balanced so that it does not tend to tilt inone direction or the other during filling. Furthermore, the presentarrangement is such as to prevent the pan from being oscillated inresponse to side thrust exerted by the pan-dumping and resetting lever,the slide member acting as a stabilizer and guide, so that the pan isprevented from oscillating in response to any such eccentric thrust, andthus accuracy of Weighing is greatly enhanced as compared with priorarrangements.

While I have herein illustrated one desirable embodiment of theinvention by way of example, it is to be understood that substitutionsof material and of equivalents, and a rearrangement of parts may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and while theinvention is herein illustrated as applied to a card feeder, certain ofits features are equally applicable to mechanism useful forautomatically weighing other materials.

I claim:

1. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan fulcrumed thereon, means providing asubstantially vertical fixed guideway, a slide member arranged to slidevertically in said guideway, and means normally spaced from said slidemember, but operative to engage said slide member at all positions ofthe scale beam and pan for preventing excessive sway of the pan aboutits fulcrum axis.

2. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember, and means guiding said slide member so that elements thereofmove in the vertical plane of the pan axis, means connecting the slidemember to each of the closure members, releasable latch means forholding the slide member in elevated position with the closure memberclosed, and a latch releasing element guided to move substantially inthe vertical plane of the pan axis.

3. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan,'the beam having a fulcrum support providinga pivotal axis for the pan and the pan having a movable bottom closure,a slide member so guided that elements thereof move substantially in thevertical plane of the pan axis, means connecting said slide member tothe closure, latch means normally retaining the slide member in positionto hold the closure in closed position, and release means for releasingthe latch means to permit the closure to open, said release meanscomprising an element guided to move substantially in the verticalplane. of the pan axis.

4. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan fulcrumed thereon, said pan having an endmember and a relatively movable bottom closure, a movable latch carrier,means connecting the bottom closure to the latch carrier, a latchmounted on the latch carrier, an abutment carried by the end member ofthe pan with which the latch engages in one position of the latchcarrier thereby to hold the bottom closure in closed position, and alatch releasing slide moving in fixed guides and comprising a releaseelement moving substantially in the vertical plane of the pan axis. I

5. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan, the beam having a fulcrum support providinga pivotal axis for the pan and the pan having an end member and arelatively movable bottom closure, a slide member carried by the pan,means guiding the slide member to move in a predetermined path, meansconnecting the slide member to the closure, a latch member on the slidemember, an abutment carried by the end member of the pan with which thelatch member normally engages, thereby to hold the closure in closedposition, and release means for releasing the latch member from theabutment, said release means comprising an element which moves in a pathsubstantially in the vertical plane of the pan axis.

6. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, a pin projecting from the slide member substantially inthe vertical plane or the pan axis, and means cooperable with the pin toprevent excessive sway of the pan while permitting free verticalmovement of the slide member.

A 7. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan, the beam having a fulcrum support providinga pivotal axis for the pan and. the pan having a movable bottomclosure,a slide member 1 carried by the pan, means guiding the slidemember to moveup' and down in a predetermined pathja'pivoted latchmounted on the slide member, an abutment carried by the pan, ajspringtending to swing the latch member into position to engage the abutment,a stop operative to limit movement of the latch by its spring, and meansfor disengaging the latch from the abutment thereby to permit the slidemember to descend and allow the closure to open.

8. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing .a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, releasable latch means substantially in the verticalplane of the pan axis normally operative to hold the slide member inelevated position with the closure members closed, and means forreleasing the latch means, thereby to permit the slide member to descendand the pan to open.

9. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, retaining means comprising a movable latch member onthe slide member for holding the slide member in elevated position withthe pan closed, said latch having a projecting tail and meansengageab-le with the latch tail for releasing the latch thereby topermit the slide member to descend and the pan to open.

10. Weighing mechanism of the class described having in combination ascale beam and a scale pan, the beam having a fulcrum support providinga pivotal axis for the pan and the pan having a movable bottom closure,a slide member carried by the pan, means guiding the slide member tomove up and down substantially in the plane of the fulcrum point of thepan, a pivoted latch mounted on the slide member, an abutment carried bythe pan with which the latch normally engages, thereby to hold theclosure in closed position, a spring tending to hold the latch inengagement with the abutment, a tail projecting from the latch, andmeans engageable with the latch tail for swinging the latch out ofengagement with the abutment.

11. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members'pivcted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, a latch on the slide member; means with which the latchnormally engages to hold the slide member in elevated position with thepan closed, a latch releasing tail projecting from the latch and a pinprojecting from the slide member, both tail and pin being substantiallyalso having an element engageable with the pin to elevate the slidemember and thereby to close the pan.

12. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, a latch on the slide, an abutment with which the latchnormally engages to hold the slide elevated and the pan closed, alatch-releasing tail projecting from the latch and a pin projecting fromthe slide member, a vertically movable guide having an elongate slot towhich the latch tail and the pin project, and means for moving the guidedownwardly to cause the upper wall of its slot to engage the latch tailand thereby release the latch, and to move the guide member upwardlythereby to cause the lower wall of its slot to engage the pin andelevate the slide member.

13. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slideber and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical plane ofthe pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of the closuremembers, a pivoted latch carried by the slide member, an abutment withwhich the latch normally engages when the slide is in elevated position,a latch-releasing tail projecting from the latch and a pin projectingfrom the slide memher, a vertically moving guide constraining the slidemember to move in a vertical path, a pair of pins projecting from saidvertically movable guide member, a lever arm disposed between said pins,and a cam for moving said lever arm up and down, said guide havingelements engageable with the latch tail and pin respectively, as saidguide member is moved upwardly and downwardly by the lever.

14. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember, and means guiding said slide member to move in the verticalplane of the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, and means cooperable with said slide member to preventexcessive sway of the pan about its axis.

15. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, ascale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan axis, means connecting the slide member to each of theclosure members, a releasable latch normally holding the slide member inelevated position with the pan closed, and means operative to releasethe latch thereby to permit the slide member to descend and the pan toopen, and means operative thereafter to elevate the slide member therebyto close the pan and reengage the latch.

16. Weighing mechanism of the class described having a scale beam, atscale pan, means on the beam providing a pivotal axis for the pan, apair of closure members pivoted to turn about axes parallel to that ofthe pan and symmetrically disposed relatively to the pan axis, a slidemember and means guiding said slide member to move in the vertical planeof the pan means connecting the slide member to each of the C161. .remembers, a pin projecting from the slide member substantially in thevertical plane of the pan axis, and a guide member substantially fixedas respects lateral movement and having a vertically elongate slot forthe reception of said pin, the lateral walls of the slot being so spacedas to permit free vertical movement of the pin while preventingsubstantial lateral movement thereof.

17. A card feeder having weighing mechanism including a dumping scalepan provided with a movable closure, and a latch normally locking theclosure in closed position, said latch having an operating tail, apan-closing pin, a slide mounted in guides and having elements normallyspaced from the latch tail and from the panolcsing pin, respectively,during the weighing operation, a single lever arranged to move saidslide in opposite directions, and a single rotating part operative totilt the lever whereby to move the slide first in one direction and thenin the other.

18. A machine of the class described comprising a scale beam and a scalepan supported thereby, the pan having a movable closure, a latchnormally operative to retain the closure in closed position, avertically movable slide member having elements operative respectivelyduring the down and up movement of said slide to release the latch sothat the pan may open, and to close the pan respectively, a single leverengaging said slide member, cam elements carried by the lever, and asingle moving part engageable successively with said cam elements formoving the lever positively in opposite directions.

19. A card feeder having weighing mechanism including a dumping scalepan provided with a latch controlled movable closure normally locked inclosed positionpa member for releasing the closure latch, a pan-closingmember, a slide arranged to slide in fixed guides and comprisingelements normally spaced from the latch release member and from thepan-closing member, respectively, during the weighing operation, asingle lever arranged to move said slide and thereby bring said elementsinto operative engagement with the latch release member and thepan-closing member respectively, and a single rotating part operative toactuate the lever.

20. A machine of the class described comprising a scale beam and a scalepan supported thereby, the pan having a movable closure, a latchnormally operative to retain the closure in closed position, avertically movable slide memher having elements operative, respectively,during the down and up movements of said slide to release the latch, sothat the pan may open, and to close the pan respectively, a single leverengaging said slide member, a pair of spaced cam elements mounted on thelever, a moving part operative first by engagement with one of said camelements to tilt the lever thereby to move the slide and release thelatch, said moving part thereafter engaging the other cam element and toclose the pan.

21. A machineof the class described comprising a scale beam and a scalepan supported thereby, the pan having a movable closure, a latchnormally operative to retain the closure in closed position, avertically movable slide member having elements operative, respectively,during the down and up movementsof said slide to release the latch sothat the pan may open and to close the pan respectively, a single leverengaging said slide member, a pair of spaced cam elements mounted on thelever, a moving part operative first by engagement with one of said camelements to tilt the lever thereby to move the slide and release thelatch, said moving part thereafter engaging the other cam element andthereby tilting t-he lever to move the slide so as to close the'pan, andmeans operative during the interval between engagement of the severalcams by said moving part to restore the lever to its normal position.

22. In combination in a card feeder of the kind having fiber deliverymeans, devices for starting and stopping the delivery means, a dumpingscale pan arranged to receive fiber from the delivery means, a scalebeam supporting the pan, a movable closure for the pan, a releasablelatch for the closure, and means responsive to downward movement of thepan and beam when loaded with fiber to stop the delivery means, a singlerotating drive member, and actuating means operative successively torelease the latch, to open the pan, to close the pan and to restart thedelivery means, said actuating means comprising a single rotating partacting at different points in its path to initiate said severaloperations.

23. In combination in a card feeder of the kind having fiber deliverymeans, devices for starting and stopping the delivery means, a dumpingscale pan arranged to receive fiber from the delivery means, a scalebeam supporting the pan, a movable closure for the pan, a releasablelatch for the closure, and means responsive to downward movement of thepan and beam when loaded with fiber to stop the delivery means, a singlerotating drive member, a lever having an arm operative by downward or.upward movement, respectively, to release the latch and open the pan,and to close the pan, said lever having a pair of spaced cams soarranged with respect to said rotating drive member as to be engagedsuccessively by the latter thereby first to swing the lever arm upwardlyand then downwardly, a second lever, connections between said latterlever and the devices for starting and stopping the delivery means, anda part carried by said second lever and so disposed in the path of saidrotating drive member as to be operatively engaged thereby to restartthe delivery mechanism after the pan has been closed.

' 24. In combination in a card feeder of the kind having fiber deliverymeans, devices for starting and stopping the delivery means, a dumpingscale pan arranged to receive fiber from the delivery means, a scalebeam supporting the pan, a movable closure for the pan, a releasablelatch for the closure, and means responsive to downward movement of thepan and beam when loaded with fiber to stop the delivery means, a singlerotating drive member, a lever having a pair of spaced cams disposed inthe path of said rotating member and engageable successively by thelatter, the

thereby tilting the lever to move the slide so as lever moving inresponse to such engagement and thereby first releasing the latch todump the pan and then close the pan, and a third cam engageable by saidrotating member thereby to restart the delivery means after the pan hasbeen closed.

25. A card feeder operative to deliver fibrous material at apredetermined rate to a carding machine, said card feeder comprising aweighing scale having a dumping pan, pan dumping means comprising arotary drive member, and

uni-directional drive connections from the card for turning said drivemember so long as the card is driven forwardly, said connectionspermitting reverse operation of the card without reversely turning thedrive member.

26. A card feeder operative to deliver fibrous material at apredetermined rate to a carding machine, said card feeder comprising aweighing scale having a dumping pan, pan-dumping means comprising arotary drive member, and connections from the card for driving saidmember, said connections comprising a uni-directional clutchtransmission operative to turn the drive member in the forward directionwhen the 'card is operating in normal manner, but to leave the drivemember idle when the card is reversed.

27. A card feeder operative to deliver fibrous material at apredetermined rate to a carding machine, said card feeder comprising aweighing scale havng a dumping pan, pan-dumping means comprising a drivemember, and means for transmitting movement from the card to the drivemember for turning the latter, said transmitting means comprising aunidirectional positive clutch operative to turn the drive member in theforward direction during normal operation of the card, but to slip andallow the drive member to remain idle when the card is reversed.

28. A card feeder comprising a dumping scale pan, power driven panloading mechanism, and means for dumping the pan, an endless apronarranged to receive material dumped from the pan, a pair ofsubstantially parallel shafts arranged to support and drive the apron,means, independent of the pan loading mechanism, for turning one of saidshafts, a unidirectional clutch comprising a driving element turningwith the other of said shafts, a driven element, and means operated bysaid driven element for operating the pan-dumping means.

29. Control means for the dumping scale pan of a card feeder comprisinga support, a plurality of stub shafts carried thereby, a pan-dumping andclosing lever mounted on one shaft, a rotary drive element mounted onthe other shaft, 7

and means whereby the support with its stub shafts may be attached as aunit to the frame of a card feeder.

30. Control means for the dumping scale pan of a card feeder havingintermittently operating delivery mechanism, said control meanscomprising a support, a plurality of shafts carried by the support, aplurality of levers mounted on one of said shafts, one of said leversbeing operative to dump the pan and thereafter to close the pan, andanother of said levers being operative to restart the delivery mechanismafter stopping, a rotary drive element mounted on the other shaft andoperative to actuate the several levers on the first shaft, and meansfor attaching the support with its shafts as aunit to the frame of acard feeder.

JOSEPH B. HOWE.

